


Cake by the Ocean

by doitsushine92



Series: Poly EXO [2]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Cat!Chanyeol, Established Relationship, Fluff, Hybrid!AU, M/M, OT4, Polyamory, not really tho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-25
Updated: 2017-06-25
Packaged: 2018-11-18 16:08:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11294112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doitsushine92/pseuds/doitsushine92
Summary: Baekhyun and Lu Han have been together for a long time. The addition of Chanyeol and Sehun isn't the worst idea they've had.





	Cake by the Ocean

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally written for exot3+ but they dead

The streets of Seoul were unusually cold that night. Baekhyun hurried along, shoulders hunched up to keep the cold at bay; he cursed himself for not taking a cab, but it wasn’t worth it anymore. He was close to his complex anyway. Baekhyun passed by the usual locals; the café he and Lu Han frequented, the vet’s office, the convenience store, the dark alley with the catboy, the candy store-

Wait. Baekhyun backtracked, eyes searching in the dim for the pair of ears he had seen out of his peripheral vision. He spotted the catboy curled up inside a cardboard, shivering from the cold. Baekhyun’s heart squeezed at the sight: brown ears were plastered to the top of his head, his long tail wrapped protectively around himself. 

“Uh, excuse me,” Baekhyun said quietly so he wouldn’t scare the catboy. The hybrid jerked away from Baekhyun’s outstretched arm, wide eyes fearfully looking up to him. He seemed like he had been living out in the streets for a while; his hair was long, matted and oily.

“My name is Baekhyun,” he continued, “What’s yours?”

“Chanyeol,” the catboy answered timidly after a long beat of silence.

“Chanyeol, would you like to come home with me?” Baekhyun offered, “You can take a warm bath, have a nice meal and sleep in the spare room. You can stay for as long as you want.”

Chanyeol eyed him sceptically, untrusty. “Tell you what,” Baekhyun pulled out a magazine from his messenger bag and gave it to Chanyeol, “If I do something to make you uncomfortable, you can roll this up and hit me in the head, alright?” Chanyeol was still looking on with fear so Baekhyun reassured him further. “I won’t do anything to hurt you, ok? I promise.”

Chanyeol seemed to weigh the pros and cons of going with Baekhyun, until the rumbling of his tummy made the choice for him. The catboy stood on wobbly legs and took Baekhyun’s offered hand; he was taller than Baekhyun, he noticed. Baekhyun took off his coat and wrapped it around Chanyeol, helping the catboy tread his arms through the holes and tied his scarf around the hybrid’s neck to keep him warm.

Baekhyun led him the rest of the way to the apartment, careful of the other pedestrians so they wouldn’t bump into anyone. His home was a hell of a lot warmer than the streets and Baekhyun could feel some of Chanyeol’s tension ebb away at the change of temperature.

Chanyeol noticed the extra pair of house slippers in the entrance and Baekhyun smiled warmly at him. “Those are Lu Han’s, my boyfriend. He’s on a business trip right now, but I’m sure you’ll like him.” Chanyeol only nodded in response, trailing behind Baekhyun as the shorter male pointed out where things were. Finally they reached the bathroom and Baekhyun turned to Chanyeol. “I can leave you alone, if you want. Or I can stay if you don’t know how these things work? I have some spare clothing in the bedroom that belongs to my friend that might fit you.”

Chanyeol shook his head slowly. “That’s ok, I know how to shower. And thank you,” his voice got progressively softer until it was barely a whisper, round eyes casted down to the floor. Baekhyun was so endeared he nearly melted.

“That’s ok,” he said instead, “I’ll get you something to wear and then leave you alone to shower while I cook, alright?”

Because Sehun spent so much time in the apartment, cuddling with Lu Han and ultimately cockblocking Baekhyun to the max, the blond had a lot of his things in their house; he had a toothbrush in the sink, T-shirts and hoodies and sweatpants in the closet and even his own mug in the kitchen. Baekhyun pulled out grey sweatpants and a green pullover for Chanyeol to wear then padded back to the bathroom where Chanyeol was curiously reading the labels on the back of shampoo bottles and creams, his tail loosely swishing behind him. 

“There you go,” Baekhyun announced his presence, handing Chanyeol the clothes he’d picked up for him, “I hope they fit.”

“Thank you,” Chanyeol did a ninety degrees bow that lasted five seconds before straightening back up and lifting the ragged shirt he was wearing over his head. Taking that as his cue to leave, Baekhyun shut the door behind him. 

In the kitchen, Baekhyun found himself lost. He’d never had a hybrid before, not even as a kid; the closest he had gotten to one was Jongin, Kyungsoo’s puppy hybrid, who liked to eat fried chicken and sleep. Maybe Chanyeol liked chicken? But that would take too long, perhaps noodles were the way to go this time. Satisfied, Baekhyun rummaged his cupboard in search for his endless supply of instant ramen; Lu Han was very disapproving of Baekhyun’s diet, but the younger man simply reminded him that he was constantly consuming bubble tea and that always shut him up. Chicken was a safe bet, so he heated up about five cups. He didn’t know how much Chanyeol would eat, but he guessed it would be a lot.

Around the time Baekhyun was serving the last cup, Chanyeol came out of the bathroom, hair still dripping wet. He had his old clothes bunched up in his hands and a damp towel around his neck.

“Here, let me take those,” Baekhyun offered but Chanyeol held the tattered fabrics closer to him, “I won’t throw them away if you don’t want,” he assured him, “But at least let me wash them.”

Chanyeol seemed to trust him enough for that, so Baekhyun was able to take the clothing to the washroom to clean later. Back in the kitchen, Chanyeol was eyeing the ramen with hungry eyes and Baekhyun chuckled as he told the catboy that he was allowed to eat those. 

In his life, Baekhyun had never seen someone eat so much in so little time. In the end, Chanyeol ate all five cups and, to Baekhyun’s surprise, still asked shyly for some more. Baekhyun promised to order two pizzas later, but first they had to do something about Chanyeol’s hair; it probably hurt and Baekhyun couldn’t let Chanyeol stay like that. He had the catboy sit on a stool in the bathroom and assured him he was in good hands.

“One of my neighbours had a salon in her garage when I was growing up and I would work there during the summers, so don’t worry.”

Chanyeol, still fidgety but far calmer than he was at first, nodded his head and relaxed into the chair. He shut his eyes tightly and let Baekhyun do his job. The short man did quick work of his hair, cut it so it would reach just above his jaw and tried to do it somewhat fashionably. Hopefully, it would look good once dry and if not he could just take him to an actual hairdresser sometime soon and have them fix his disaster. Once he was done with the scissors he grabbed the hair-dryer and watched as Chanyeol seemed delighted with the warm air being gusted on his hair. He was extra careful when blowing around his ears, cupping his free hand around them in case they were sensitive.

“There, all done,” Baekhyun announced cheerily. Chanyeol slowly opened his eyes and blinked at his reflection in wonder. “Do you like it?”

The last thing Baekhyun was expecting was for Chanyeol to tear up, but his fears were quelled when the catboy nodded enthusiastically and nearly tackled him to the ground with a hug. Baekhyun laughed and hugged him back with as much enthusiasm.

Baekhyun ordered two large pizzas, one for him and one for Chanyeol, and coaxed the catboy into sitting with him on the couch as they waited for their meal to be delivered. 

“Can I pet you?” Baekhyun blurted out. Chanyeol’s ears flattened to the top of his head as he tensed up again and Baekhyun felt so bad about scaring him he reminded the catboy about the magazine. “Just hit me over the head, alright?”

After a minute or so of silence, Chanyeol finally nodded hesitantly, hands twisting the magazine he recently acquired from the coffee table as Baekhyun raised his hand and gently carded his fingers through the catboy’s now silky hair. Almost immediately, a loud purr erupted from Chanyeol’s chest, making him blush embarrassedly. 

“That was so cute,” Baekhyun cooed, “I guess it means you like to be petted?”

Chanyeol muttered a quiet ‘yes’ and that was enough for Baekhyun to continue with his ministrations. By the time the pizza arrived, Chanyeol was slumped over on the couch, snoring softly into the cushions.

-

The next morning Baekhyun woke up to the feeling of having eyes on him. He opened his own and, true to his suspicions, there were a pair of eyes right up on his face. But instead of the expected wide, he was met with twinkling irises.

“Lu?” he rasped out, “I thought you’d be back on Sunday?”

“I was,” Lu Han replied nonchalantly, “But the meeting was cut short so we were allowed to come home a day earlier. The real wonder here is, why is there a catboy sleeping next to you?”

Baekhyun turned his head to the left and saw Chanyeol all curled up, blankets wrapped around his lanky form. There was a cute pout on his lips and Baekhyun didn’t want to awake him so silently made his way out of bed, careful not to jostle Chanyeol. Lu Han followed him out into the kitchen with a pout. Finally, after Baekhyun had started the coffee maker, he tugged his boyfriend into his arms and laughed, “Stop being so jealous, you giant baby.”

Lu Han snuggled closer, pressed his nose against Baekhyun’s neck and inhaled deeply. “God, I missed you so much,” he muttered. Baekhyun tightened his arms around Lu Han’s body in response. It had only been a week, but it still felt like an eternity to be away from him. They stayed like that for a while, wrapped up in each other until coffee was done. Lu Han watched as Baekhyun prepared three mugs, one with cream and sugar, one black and one left for Chanyeol to fix to his own taste.

“What if he doesn’t like coffee?” Lu Han asked. Baekhyun stopped in his tracks, pondered the question, and then shrugged. “I’ll make him hot chocolate, then.”

Baekhyun placed the mugs on the coffee table and had Lu Han wait in the living room while he went back to the bedroom to fetch Chanyeol. Except the catboy was nowhere to be seen in the room. Baekhyun searched the bathroom and found the catboy looking at his reflection; his hair looked good in the daylight, Baekhyun thought smugly. 

“I was worried we’d have to take you to a salon,” he admitted, “But it seems like that won’t be necessary.”

The catboy seemed half-asleep, his movements slow and sluggish, but he managed a cute smile in Baekhyun’s direction before saying, “Um, do you… mind?” 

Baekhyun cocked his head confusedly, but his mouth opened in a silent ‘oh’ when Chanyeol motioned in the general direction of the toilet. “Oh, right. Sorry, sure. Just, come into the living room when you’re done, alright? There’s someone I want you to meet.”

At Chanyeol’s affirmative, Baekhyun walked out and shut the door behind him. Lu Han was waiting patiently in the recliner, checking his text messages while sipping on his mug of poison.

“So? Does he like coffee?” he asked when Baekhyun plopped down in the couch. Baekhyun halted his movements, mug halfway up to his mouth, and said, “Shit, I forgot to ask.”

Getting up, he ran back towards the bathroom and asked loudly through the door, “Do you like coffee?!”

“Uh,” came Chanyeol’s muffled, slightly baffled voice, “Not really, sorry.”

“No! That’s ok, I’ll make you hot chocolate, alright?!”

“Sure?” 

Baekhyun raced back into the living room, grabbed the cup of coffee and frantically looked around in search of somewhere to dump its contents. “Here,” Lu Han offered, “I’ll drink that.”

Baekhyun smiled gratefully and, after Lu Han was contently sipping his coffee, went into the kitchen to locate the cocoa. He had the hot chocolate done in record time, just in time for Chanyeol to walk out. His hair was combed to the side and his eyes were large as he looked at Lu Han; the Chinese man stared back impassively. Baekhyun rolled his eyes as he handed Chanyeol the hot chocolate he had made for him.

“Again, stop being so jealous,” Baekhyun laughed, “Lu, this is Chanyeol. Chanyeol, this is the boyfriend I told you about, Lu Han.”

Chanyeol bowed politely with a shy smile and let Baekhyun guide him to the couch. Lu Han had his eyes back on his phone already and was grinning widely. “Sehun’s coming over in a few,” he announced.

Baekhyun scoffed, “What a surprise.”

“And I’m the jealous one,” Lu Han laughed.

-

Much to Baekhyun’s relief, Lu Han took a quick liking to Chanyeol. He didn’t seem bothered by the catboy following him around the house in wonder; Chanyeol seemed to think the sun shone out of Lu Han’s ass. Baekhyun would have been jealous if it weren’t because he and Chanyeol had so much fun together. They laughed at all the same dumb jokes and had the same taste in many things. 

Sehun also seemed to like Chanyeol enough; more often than not, Sehun would come over not for Lu Han but for Chanyeol, and they would spend the afternoon goofing around. Baekhyun found out pretty quickly that Chanyeol couldn’t read nor write and took it as his mission to teach him. The first word Chanyeol learned how to write was his own name; Baekhyun couldn’t help but coo at the proud smile on the hybrid’s face when Baekhyun told him he got it right.

Chanyeol became more comfortable with petting, and not a day went by without Baekhyun scratching behind his ears at least twice. Lu Han found he liked to have his belly rubbed while Sehun liked to tickle under his chin; all those actions had the desired reaction from him, and Chanyeol would be reduced to a purring mess. It was so adorable.

-

It was a cold weekend, winter was nearing its end, and Lu Han was away on yet another business trip. Baekhyun had spent the past two hours working on dinner while Chanyeol had his nose stuck in a book; Sehun had given it to him a few days earlier and the catboy hadn’t dropped it since. Baekhyun had been worried at first that Chanyeol would get frustrated since he was still learning how to read, but it turned out that he was more interested in the drawings.

“Chanyeol, dinner is ready!” Baekhyun called. When he received no enthusiastic response, Baekhyun poked his head out the kitchen to see Chanyeol fast asleep on the floor, book forgotten next to him. The quilt they kept on the couch was thrown messily on top of him, and it made the cutest sight Baekhyun had seen in a while.

“Yeol,” he whispered, crouching down to poke at his body, “Hey, wake up.”

Chanyeol mumbled something incoherently. His tail came up to wrap around Baekhyun’s wrist and tugged down until Baekhyun had his arm around the catboy’s body. Taking the hint, Baekhyun lowered himself until he was lying as comfortably as he could on the floor and allowed Chanyeol to cuddle into him. 

Baekhyun ignored how his heart beat the way it did when he started dating Lu Han.

-

Chanyeol obviously had a thing for Sehun. Baekhyun could see it in how he smiled brighter than the sun whenever he was around, how he laughed harder at his jokes and had hearts in his eyes when looking at him. Baekhyun would never admit it to himself, but he was kind of jealous. He was still completely enamoured with Lu Han, no doubt about that, but he couldn’t deny the butterflies in his stomach whenever Chanyeol as much as looked in his direction. 

And, of course, Lu Han noticed. Lu Han knew everything about Baekhyun, even the things he didn’t know himself. He just didn’t voice it until one Wednesday night when they were alone in the apartment. Sehun had decided to take Chanyeol skating for the first time and Baekhyun knew better than to ruin Chanyeol’s evening by tagging along. He did, however, take him shopping for adequate clothing and took his time admiring Chanyeol in different coats and furry hats. They were watching some reruns of Happy Together when Lu Han said, “So, you like Chanyeol?”

Baekhyun sputtered, choking on his water and turned to look at his boyfriend with wide eyes. Lu Han didn’t seem angry, just sad and a little resigned.

“What?” he asked meekly. Lu Han gave him a small smile.

“Come on, I recognize the signs,” he said, “You obviously have feelings for him.”

“No!” Baekhyun exclaimed loudly, “I mean… yeah, maybe. A little, but it doesn’t mean I don’t love you anymore!”

Lu Han now seemed more confused than anything. “What?”

Baekhyun sighed tiredly. “Yes, I kind of have a thing for Chanyeol. But it doesn’t matter because I love you, and besides, he likes Sehun anyway.”

Lu Han wasn’t stupid and knew that tone, because he squeezed Baekhyun’s arms in comfort. “I don’t think Sehun likes him that way, though.”

“No,” Baekhyun shrugged, “He only has eyes for you.”

“And I only have eyes for you,” Lu Han sang. Baekhyun slapped his arm but couldn’t help the smile that formed on his lips.

They were silent for a few minutes after that, hands clasped tightly together. “So,” Lu Han said, “I like you, you like Chanyeol, Chanyeol likes Sehun and Sehun likes me.”

“Yep,” Baekhyun nodded, “Damn.”

“What do we do?” Lu Han asked.

Baekhyun’s metaphorical light bulb went on above his head and he looked at Lu Han with a wide smile. “Don’t hit me,” he said.

“Why would I hit you?” Lu Han looked scared.

“Just, promise,” Baekhyun laughed.

“Alright, alright, I promise.”

Baekhyun looked deep into Lu Han’s eyes, took a deep breath and stage whispered, “Polyamory.”

Lu Han did not keep his promise.

-

Despite his initial reluctance, Lu Han was slowly swayed in Baekhyun’s direction. It didn’t help that he was slowly becoming aware of Sehun’s affections for him. He also became painfully aware of anything Chanyeol did; at first it was more out of jealousy, but he started to see why Baekhyun liked him.

After weeks of pining and jealousy, Baekhyun and Lu Han finally sat them both down in their living room to have a talk. Baekhyun, being the bold and unpredictable creature he was, said right off the bat, “Chanyeol, I really like you.”

Before the hybrid had the opportunity to react, Lu Han continued, “But we know you like Sehun.”

“And we know Sehun likes Lu Han,” Baekhyun butted in. They were both blushing, which Baekhyun found endearing. The living room fell silent. Sehun was doing that thing he did when he got nervous or embarrassed, where he licked his lips over and over. Chanyeol was blinking rapidly and repeatedly. 

“I’m… sorry?” Chanyeol tried, still a little rusty when it came to social interactions. 

“We’re not angry!” Lu Han rushed to explain, unable to resist Chanyeol’s pout anymore than he could handle Baekhyun clinging to him in the mornings or Sehun whining at him. He was screwed. “We actually have a proposition for you two.”

“You can say no,” Baekhyun assured them, “And everything goes back to normal, ok?”

After they both nodded, Lu Han elbowed Baekhyun in the ribs; they had a silent discussion with their eyes that went something along the lines of:

‘You tell them.’

‘Why?’

‘It was your idea.’

“How would you feel about… polyamory?” Baekhyun asked softly. The fear of being rejected was very present in both of them, but it was better to try to make things work out for the four than to live in misery.

“What’s polyamory?” Chanyeol asked confusedly. 

“Well,” Lu Han began, “It means that we could all be together, like Baekhyun and I are.”

Chanyeol mouthed ‘oh’ but didn’t say anything else. Baekhyun was at the edge of his seat, looking nervous out of his mind, and Lu Han reached out his hand to grab Baekhyun’s in comfort.

The action didn’t go unnoticed by Chanyeol, who followed their movements with a concentrated frown. “And,” he licked his lips, “You’re both ok with that?”

“Yes,” they said in unison. 

Baekhyun had never felt more relieved in his life than when he heard Chanyeol whisper ‘ok’. They turned to look at Sehun with hopeful eyes, but the displeased expression on his face told them he wasn’t as open to the idea as they were.

“Are you kidding me?” the question was aimed directly at Lu Han, who seemed taken aback by the tone. Sehun scoffed without letting them answer and promptly left the apartment with a slam to the front door. Chanyeol’s ears flattened to the top of his head and his tail was curled around his waist in a protective manner, as he was prone to do when scared.

“I’ll go talk to him,” Lu Han muttered, taking off after his best friend. Once it was just Baekhyun and Chanyeol, the catboy stared at him in wonder.

“What is it?” Baekhyun asked. 

“Do you really like me?” Chanyeol asked, straightforward. Baekhyun nodded, suddenly shy. He wasn’t expecting Chanyeol to launch himself on top of him with a bright smile, but he wasn’t about to reject a hug. 

-

Lu Han came back to the apartment late at night with Sehun in tow. Baekhyun didn’t ask any questions, simply accepted Sehun’s apology for storming out and reassured him that they were ok.

-

Things changed after that. They offered Sehun to move in with them but he declined; he said that he already spent enough time in their apartment as it was. Chanyeol continued sleeping in the spare room, but more often than not he would climb into bed with them late at night. 

Baekhyun could feel a tangible shift in their relationship; he and Lu Han remained the same, but now Baekhyun was free to cling to Chanyeol as much as he wanted to. The hybrid was very enthusiastic about cuddling, so Baekhyun spent his afternoons with a lapful of catboy purring into his neck. Lu Han, after much meddling, managed to get Baekhyun and Sehun to go on dates every once in a while; Baekhyun discovered Sehun was really cute and he didn’t mind babying the taller boy.

Chanyeol continued with his habit of following Lu Han around the house, and took a special liking to sitting next to him whenever Lu Han was working. 

-

It had been three months since the beginning of their new relationship and Baekhyun could not, for the life of him, figure out why Sehun was avoiding him. Sehun seemed fine most of the time, joking around with Chanyeol and hanging off Lu Han like an overgrown leech, but as soon as Baekhyun walked into a room he would shut down and leave soon after.

Baekhyun talked to Lu Han about it one night after Sehun had gone home and Chanyeol was in bed. “Hey, Lu?”

Lu Han hummed distractedly, playing Words with Friends with Yixing online. 

“Do you know if Sehun is angry at me?” Baekhyun asked worriedly, chewing on his bottom lip. Lu Han stopped his game in favour of looking at his boyfriend with a frown. “I don’t think so… why do you ask?”

“It’s just,” Baekhyun said. “He keeps shutting me out, I don’t know what to do,” he whined, frustrated.

“Talk to him,” Lu Han shrugged, “You know Sehun isn’t quite as gifted when it comes to emotions as the rest of us.”

Baekhyun grumbled in response but settled down for the night anyway. He followed Lu Han’s advice that same weekend; he had Lu Han take Chanyeol out for ice cream and then invited Sehun to come over. The younger boy seemed nervous when he walked into the apartment and noticed they were alone.

“You wanted to talk?” Sehun asked nervously. Baekhyun couldn’t help but notice he was wearing the same shirt he had given him for his birthday. 

“Are you angry at me?” Baekhyun asked immediately. Sehun was clearly taken aback by the question, eyes gone wide.

“I- no, why would you think that?” he stammered.

“Because you keep avoiding me,” Baekhyun said bluntly, “You don’t look me in the eye; you don’t talk directly at me and leave whenever I come around. Sehun, if I did something to upset you, you have to tell me. This,” Baekhyun motioned between them and then around them to imply the missing two, “is never going to work unless we talk.”

“You’ve never kissed me,” Sehun admitted shyly. Baekhyun could only gape at him in disbelief.

“What.”

“It’s just,” Sehun rushed to explain, “I understand Chanyeol, because we agreed to let him choose the pace, but Lu Han has kissed me before and you haven’t. And I know you don’t exactly like me that much so I guess I thought you didn’t want to.”

“Sehun,” Baekhyun supressed a highly unmanly giggle, “I haven’t kissed you because I didn’t want to scare you. You liked Lu Han from the beginning but I’m someone you’ve had to get used to and I didn’t want to force myself on you or anything like that.”

Sehun looked embarrassed so Baekhyun grabbed his hand and forced him to look him in the eyes as he said, “I can kiss you right now, if you want.”

Baekhyun thanked the heavens everyday he was born as fierce and outspoken as he was, because in times like these it came very handy. Sehun flushed a deep red at the proposition but nodded anyway. Baekhyun was more than happy to comply, leaning in and pressing his lips against Sehun’s. 

Baekhyun had always been a messy kisser; too much tongue and saliva for a lot of people’s taste save for Lu Han, who was as bold and shameless in his kissing as he was in life. But with Sehun he took his time, let Sehun take control and found out the younger boy was a shy kisser, slowly moving his lips against Baekhyun’s. But he liked it; taking it slow obviously had its merits.

That’s how Lu Han and Chanyeol found them, tangled in each other, Baekhyun pecking Sehun’s cheeks and neck affectionately just to make him giggle.

-

Chanyeol, they discovered, had grown up in a shelter. His mother had been a breeder and because he apparently didn’t fit a cat’s stereotypes, he never got adopted. Everyone seemed to believe that cats had to be cute and quiet; the workers at the shelter used to joke that he behaved more like a dog. Honestly, Baekhyun thought it was fucking stupid; Chanyeol was just about the cutest thing he had seen. So what he was eager and energetic? 

Chanyeol confessed to Baekhyun one night, after Lu Han and Sehun had fallen asleep on the floor, that he had always been jealous of the hybrids that got adopted for one very particular reason.

“The collars,” he whispered. Chanyeol was lying on Baekhyun’s chest, ears tickling the shorter man’s chin while Baekhyun rubbed a hand up and down his back.

“Really?” Baekhyun whispered back. Chanyeol nodded, giggling to himself. “It’s a sign of ownership for many, but I think is more of a symbol of belonging. I always wanted one of those.”

Chanyeol fell asleep soon after that, but Baekhyun stayed up thinking of how Chanyeol would look like with a collar.

After talking about it with Lu Han and Sehun, Baekhyun took Chanyeol to the nearest pet store a few weeks later. Chanyeol seemed confused at first but his eyes lit up when Baekhyun lead him straight to the collars. 

“Pick one,” Baekhyun said excitedly, “Don’t look at the price tag!”

Chanyeol stopped his hand midway to the tag and simply looked around, testing out all the textures and fabrics. His favourite, however, seemed to be a simple baby blue one. “You want that one?” 

Chanyeol nodded shyly and Baekhyun beamed happily, taking the collar and bringing it up to the cashier.

Once at home, Baekhyun helped Chanyeol put it on, fastened it around his neck and then stepped back to see. The blue looked great against Chanyeol’s skin, and Baekhyun couldn’t help but admire how the collar fit perfectly, how good Chanyeol looked. Chanyeol hugged Baekhyun as a thank you and pulled back far enough to look him in the eyes and ask, “Baekhyunnie,” the hybrid disliked honorifics, “can I kiss you?”

Baekhyun blinked stupidly but nodded anyway. Chanyeol leaned down and Baekhyun would have swallowed his tongue had it not been intertwined with Chanyeol’s; Chanyeol was enthusiastic about his kissing, and Baekhyun wasn’t about to say no to the way Chanyeol let himself melt into his arms. No matter how hard he kissed, Baekhyun could outmatch him. It wasn’t in Baekhyun’s nature to yield. There was a reason why Lu Han always bottomed.

-

Baekhyun’s new favourite activity was kissing Chanyeol; it was understandable that the hybrid was more comfortable with him, and Baekhyun wasn’t apologetic about it. They kissed in the mornings, when Chanyeol was warm and pliant; they kissed throughout the day and they kissed at night.

Perhaps they shouldn’t have been so indiscreet about it, because Baekhyun quickly found out Lu Han and Sehun were becoming irritated with Chanyeol seemingly preferring Baekhyun over them.

It had started out as a pleasant evening; Lu Han cooked dinner with the help of Chanyeol (well, the catboy simple stood near him and cut vegetables from time to time) while Baekhyun and Sehun browsed Netflix in search of a good movie. They had dinner and settled down on the couch, Chanyeol immediately snuggling into Baekhyun’s side. Sehun, upon seeing this, snorted and muttered a low, “What a surprise.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Baekhyun asked, possibly a little too harshly. Lu Han jumped to Sehun’s defence, turning to look at Baekhyun with a glare and a sharp, “Don’t talk to him like that.”

“He’s the one being a dick,” Baekhyun countered. In the meantime, Chanyeol had burrowed into Baekhyun’s chest, clearly alarmed at the change of tone in their conversation, “He’s scaring Chanyeol.”

“Oh, please,” Sehun scoffed, “You treat him like he’s a baby but you’re the one who fucks him on the daily.”

Lu Han wasn’t fast enough to stop Baekhyun from launching himself at Sehun, landing a good blow on his jaw before he’s finally pulled back. Chanyeol was sitting terrified on his spot; he had never seen Baekhyun angry before and he didn’t like it.

“God damn it you two!” Lu Han shouted, holding Baekhyun in his arms as the younger boy trashed. Sehun was holding his face with a shocked look, as if he’d never been hit before.

“Apologize,” Baekhyun gritted, “Right now.”

“Sorry,” Sehun spat, “I’m sorry your little whore is so sensitive.”

Lu Han won’t deny he let Baekhyun out of his grip.

Later that night, after Lu Han had taken Sehun out for a walk and Baekhyun had stayed at the apartment with Chanyeol, Lu Han convinced the younger boy to apologize.

Baekhyun wasn’t too eager to accept it, but Chanyeol rubbed his head against Sehun’s chest for the both of them.

-

Lu Han took Sehun out on a date as a birthday preview. He knew Sehun’s parents were throwing him a surprise party on the 12th, but he wanted to do something just the two of them before. They hadn’t been able to spend that much time together lately and Lu Han missed him.

He took Sehun to their regular restaurant, the one with the great smoothies and sat at their usual booth. The waitress that always took their orders took one look at them and smiled brightly.

“About time,” she laughed, “I was wondering when you two would get together.”

Not knowing what to say, they laughed along with her and ordered their favourites. Lu Han kept thinking about what she said for a while though, until Sehun noticed and confronted him about it.

“What’s on your mind, hyung?” there was ketchup on the corner of his mouth. Lu Han wiped it away distractedly as he shrugged.

“What Seulgi said,” He muttered, “What do you think she meant?”

“I think,” Sehun mused, “That I was always way too obvious about my crush and everyone noticed but you. You can be very dumb sometimes, you know?”

“Yah, you brat,” Lu Han laughed. 

After dinner Lu Han drove them to the nearest bubble tea shop and ordered two to go, and then took them to the park. Sehun ran straight for the swings, which were empty given the time of night, and sat down happily, slurping on his drink while kicking his feet back and forth.

“Having a good time?” Lu Han joked.

“Yeah,” Sehun nodded sincerely. Lu Han stood in front of the swing and waited for Sehun to be in front of him to lean down and peck him on the lips. He had grown accustomed to Sehun’s shyness and even if it was a big change from his kisses with Baekhyun, it wasn’t unwelcomed. 

They stayed at the park for a long time, until midnight, and Lu Han tackled Sehun to the ground when the clock hit twelve with a loud “Happy birthday, Sehunnie!”

Sehun giggled, accepted all of Lu Han’s kisses and reciprocated them with his own. 

-

Lu Han made it his mission to get close to Chanyeol. The hybrid was always nice to him but Lu Han couldn’t help but feel like they weren’t together because he was so shy. He told Baekhyun, forever his confident, and watched the delighted smile on his boyfriend’s face grow.

“Take him out,” he said, “He likes cute things so maybe take him to the zoo?”

It seemed fitting, for someone so cute to like cute things. He took Chanyeol to the zoo, per Baekhyun’s suggestion, and enjoyed himself thoroughly watching Chanyeol run around, gazing at the monkeys with an amazed expression and cringe away from the snakes. The people around them seemed to find it weird to see a hybrid walking around so freely; most owners kept their pets at home and rarely took them out.

By the time the zoo closed, Chanyeol was exhausted, a happy grin on his face as Lu Han drove them home. However, Lu Han didn’t get to bond as much as he would have liked because Chanyeol was so distracted with all the animals.

“Hey, Yeol,” he called out to him, “What do you say we got get something to eat, hm?”

Chanyeol nodded eagerly, so Lu Han turned to the right instead of going straight and drove them to the best chicken place he knew. Once they were sat down at a corner table and ordered, Lu Han watched Chanyeol. The catboy was gorgeous, his large eyes were endearing and he had really nice lips.

“Lu Han? Is something wrong?” Chanyeol tapped his face a few times worriedly.

“No, no,” Lu Han laughed, “You are just very pretty, you know?”

Chanyeol blushed prettily at the compliment. Lu Han then asked him something that had been on his mind for a while. 

“You told us you grew up at a shelter, right?” Chanyeol nodded in confirmation. “Then why did Baekhyun find you in the streets?”

“Well,” Chanyeol said, “Shelters aren’t allowed to keep hybrids once they are of age. So once I turned nineteen, they kicked me out.”

“What?” Lu Han asked, surprised, “They just kicked you out, no remorse?”

“Yeah,” Chanyeol nodded sadly. “I wasn’t in the streets for long, though! Baekhyun found me about a year later. I’m almost twenty one, now.”

“Still,” he grumbled, “that seems harsh.”

Chanyeol opened his mouth to answer but then his mind was more focused on the tray of chicken delivered to them. Lu Han laughed at the look on his face as the waitress placed their drinks and left, and encouraged him to take the first bite.

“You’ve never had chicken?” he asked, intrigued, “You’ve been living with us for a while now. I’m actually surprised Baekhyun hasn’t been keeping you alive on a steady diet of chicken and beer.”

Through the mouthful of chicken in his mouth, Chanyeol managed to mumble what Lu Han translated as, “There hasn’t been a chance,” and then after swallowing, “Everytime he thinks about buying chicken you guys propose something else or he doesn’t have enough money or something.”

Lu Han nodded, digging into his own portion of chicken. They ate in silence after that, the Chinese male looking up every once in a while to watch the delighted look on Chanyeol’s face. It was really nice to do something for Chanyeol that Baekhyun is yet to do; Lu Han wanted to kick himself for feeling jealous of his own boyfriend, but the relationship Baekhyun had with the hybrid… Lu Han wished he could have that too. He and Baekhyun were close, had a connection Lu Han didn’t have with many, and Sehun was his best friend since preschool, but he didn’t even know what he had in common with Chanyeol or not.

“Hey, Yeol,” he called after the chicken had been wiped out, “Wanna hangout? Or are you tired?”

Chanyeol nodded happily; the new bell Lu Han had bought for his collar jingled with the movement. They ended up driving around, cranking up the radio and singing loudly to whatever song came on, whether they knew the lyrics or not. Around eleven pm they parked the car near Lu Han’s old school and ran straight for the playground. After Lu Han helped him figure out how it worked, Chanyeol became quite the master at monkey bars. That night Lu Han learned Chanyeol hated spicy food (explained why Baekhyun didn’t cook it anymore), he liked listening to any kind of music and in the shelter he learnt how to play the piano, guitar and drums.

“It was part of a charity project,” Chanyeol told him, “They sent all kinds of instruments for hybrids to entertain themselves, along with tutors every Saturday.”

By the time they got home, Baekhyun was dead to the world, snoring away. Lu Han coaxed Chanyeol into sleeping with them, and the hybrid curled under his arm and fell asleep in an instant.

-

“You should probably tell Chanyeol why you said that,” Lu Han mused. It had been two weeks since the fight and even if Chanyeol said he forgave him, the catboy hadn’t been the same. “You know he liked you the most, right?”

“He likes Baekhyun more,” Sehun grumbled as he kicked a stray can on the sidewalk. 

“He’s more comfortable with Baekhyun,” Lu Han corrected, “Because he has never been anything but nice to him. I’m not saying you’ve mistreated him, but calling him a whore was kind of a dick move.”

“I know,” the blond moaned, “I was just… angry, I guess.”

“You were jealous, because first you make a deal with us that none would kiss Chanyeol until he was ready, and then you see him make out with Baekhyun all the time.”

Sehun tried to glare at Lu Han but he knew he was right; ever since Lu Han told him Chanyeol had a crush on him, he’d been more than delighted. Even if his feelings for Lu Han were overwhelming at times, he could see himself with the hybrid. But then, seeing him all cuddly and touchy with Baekhyun, and only with Baekhyun, made him feel like an outsider. Not to mention that not until recently Baekhyun hadn’t made a move to kiss him at all. 

“All I’m saying is:” Lu Han continued, “Apologize to Chanyeol, tell him how you feel. You saw how that worked with Baekhyun, right?”

They were back at the apartment already; with the new arrangements in their lives, Sehun was spending more and more time at their home then his own, so much that his roommate had taken it upon himself to turn Sehun’s room into a salon. 

Chanyeol was in the living room, reading a manhwa Lu Han bought him; Lu Han went straight into his room after saying hello to the catboy and making some intricate hand gestures that Sehun could only guess meant ‘talk to him!!!’

“Hey, Chanyeol,” Sehun called, sitting down on the floor in front of him, “Can we talk?”

Chanyeol nodded his head, marking the spot where he was and closing the book. Sehun took a deep breath and said, “I’m really sorry, about what I said. I know I already apologized but I never told you why I reacted that way. I was jealous, to be honest, because you were supposedly crushing on me but spent most of your time with Baekhyun hyung.”

Chanyeol blinked. “Sehun,” he said, “I do like you. But I guess that, because Baekhyunnie was who found me and was always so nice to me, it feels good to be in his company. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”

“Can we just forget about this? Move on?” Sehun pleaded. The catboy grinned, tail flicking side to side behind him.

-

EPILOGUE

“I am so fucking ready to get tanned,” Baekhyun declared loudly, kicking his feet up on the car’s dashboard. Lu Han gave him a disapproving look and batted his feet away with a hand.

“No dirtying my car,” he frowned. Baekhyun poked his tongue out at him but complied. 

“Hyung, you don’t tan,” Sehun corrected from outside the car, “You burn like a tomato.”

Meanwhile, Chanyeol bounced excitedly in the backseat while Sehun finished arranging their things in the trunk; it was a long weekend and they decided to go to the beach. It was seven months since they all got together and it would be like a little anniversary celebration, even if Sehun thought yearly anniversaries were the only ones worth celebrating.

“Alright, kids, remember,” Lu Han said once they were on the road, “No public sex.”

He said this directly at Baekhyun, who tried and failed at looking insulted or even surprised at the accusation. After all, he was known for being shameless and frisky. Chanyeol laughed along with Sehun at their hyung’s expanse, for which they both got flicked in the ears.

“Will you stop twisting around?” Lu Han grumbled, attempting to keep both hands on the wheel while elbowing Baekhyun away. The first twenty minutes of the car ride were uneventful… and then Baekhyun got bored.

“Let’s play a game,” he proposed. Lu Han groaned, knowing very well that any game Baekhyun wanted to play would be painful and embarrassing.

“Like what?” Chanyeol, bless his innocent heart, still didn’t know about his boyfriend’s true nature. 

The smile on Baekhyun’s face was pure evil. “How about Truth or Dare?”

“Hell no.”

“I don’t care.”

“How do you play that?”

“Well, you see Yeol,” Baekhyun explained, “You get asked truth or dare; if you choose truth, we will ask you something and you must answer honestly. If you say dare, than you have to do whatever we tell you to.”

“Sounds fun,” Chanyeol smiled.

“What Baekhyun here failed to mention,” Lu Han said, “Is that he never plays fair, and all his dares are embarrassing. So are his questions. I haven’t been able to look Yifan in the face ever since Baekhyun made him strip at his birthday party last year.”

“Come on, you guys!” Baekhyun whined, “It’ll be fun!”

In the end, they played truth or dare. Because Lu Han was driving he chose mostly truth, but the other two were at Baekhyun’s mercy.

“Baekhyun hyung,” Sehun said, “Truth or dare?”

“Dare!” Baekhyun exclaimed.

Sehun thought for a minute, smiled and said, “I dare you to… suck Chanyeol off.”

They had all been intimate before, sure, but Lu Han still diverted his gaze to the rear view mirror to gauge Chanyeol’s reaction; despite the blush on his cheeks, he didn’t seem against the idea.

“Chanyeol,” Baekhyun called softly, “You ok with that?”

The catboy nodded shyly, not meeting anyone’s eyes. Baekhyun was more than happy to climb into the backseat, settling down on the floor of the car in front of Chanyeol. Lu Han fumbled around for his phone and tossed it to Sehun with a rushed, “Fuck, you better record that shit.”

Baekhyun never bottomed and he had only blown Lu Han once, for his birthday. It was almost like seeing a unicorn, to find Baekhyun on his knees for someone. Sehun hit play on the exact moment Baekhyun unzipped Chanyeol’s pants.

The first flick of his tongue against Chanyeol’s still mostly flaccid dick had Sehun shaking. Baekhyun kept at it, giving small licks along the length until it was hard, and then continued for a long while, waited for the tip to start leaking precum. 

Baekhyun lifted his eyes and met gaze with Chanyeol, gave him a sweet smile that was anti-climatic given the circumstances, and then proceeded to lick a stripe from the base to the top, swirled his tongue around the head and then took it into his mouth. 

“Well someone’s been watching Sehun suck dick,” Lu Han commented from the front seat. Baekhyun flipped him off in retaliation.

Inch by inch, Baekhyun swallowed around the shaft as he took Chanyeol in. The catboy took a shuddering breath when Baekhyun met the base, and Sehun whistled, impressed. “How the hell are you doing that, hyung? I had to practice to be that good.”

Baekhyun releases Chanyeol’s dick in order to give Sehun a smug smile and a lazy, “Maybe I’m a natural, Hunnie.”

It wasn’t long before Chanyeol blew his load; Baekhyun was working wonders with his tongue, and exactly seven minutes later (Lu Han counted them), the hybrid came on Baekhyun’s face. The older male made a bitter face at the taste and said, “I can’t believe you guys swallow cum.”

“It tastes good to some people,” Sehun said, looking directly at Chanyeol. He never wasted a drop.

“Well, boys,” Baekhyun announced after helping Chanyeol put his pants back on, wiggling around in the backseat so he could fit between the two, “It seems like I win.”

“You can’t win truth or dare,” Lu Han pointed out.

“Yet I just did,” Baekhyun laughed. 

They didn’t speak much after that; Lu Han drove quietly, Sehun fell asleep and Baekhyun lent Chanyeol his phone to listen to music. Suddenly, the catboy gasped and sat up straight, looked at his boyfriends with an enlightened expression and said, “Let’s eat cake by the ocean!”

“Baekhyun, what the hell are you making him listen to?” Lu Han demanded. Sehun snored.

**Author's Note:**

> thAT WAs suCh a CRapPy enDIng


End file.
